Tolls On CT Highways Not Happening, For Now

A bill that would implement tolls on Connecticut highways is likely to die before the current legislative session ends, due to lack of support.

The bill's main champion, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, could not muster enough support from his own Democratic party to defeat opposition from state Republicans, who have consistently opposed tolling.

I can’t promise that I will put it up on the board for a full vote, even though I essentially promised that and have been working really hard to make that happen.

Republicans have been opposed to the idea of tolls, which has come up steadily for several years, seeing it as just another tax on a state that's already endured two consecutive years of large tax increases. State Democrats were hesitant to give support for an unpopular measure in an election year.

Although it seems to be dead for now, don't look for this issue to ever go away permanently. Aresimowicz told NBC Connecticut that he expects that the state's next governor will ultimately have to consider tolling as a revenue source, and vows to keep fighting. He told NBC,

I am going to work as hard as I can over the next few days until we adjourn session to try to come up with a plan to try to get tolls up on the board.